Hydro-meteorological dynamics of rainfall erosivity risk in the Amazon River Delta-Estuary

ABSTRACT The Amazon River Delta-Estuary region presents a scenario of high annual precipitation totals, governed by large- and meso-scale hydrometeorological events. Intense precipitation can lead to significant erosive susceptibility in the region, depending on hydrometeorological influences and different types of land use and cover. This study aimed to assess rainfall erosivity risk in a time series spanning from 1985 to 2022, with the hypothesis that hydrometeorological events, as well as land use and cover, influence this factor. The dynamics of erosivity were evaluated from the perspective of the influence of hydrometeorological events and land use and cover types. Rainfall erosivity (R) ranged from 10078.7 to 13975.16 MJ·mm−1·ha−1·h−1·year−1, classified as very high erosivity in all years of the study period. The erosive potential showed climatic variability according to the positive and negative phases of the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM), and the warm (El Niño) and cold (La Niña) phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The R-factor is positively related to natural non-forest formation, agriculture, non-vegetated area, and wetland ecosystems; being influenced by hydrometeorological events and spatially by different types of land use and cover, confirming the hypothesis raised.